Promotion in remote jobs can be challenging due to the perceived disadvantage remote workers face compared to their office counterparts. In-person interaction can foster stronger trust-led relationships that often give office colleagues an edge in promotions. However, there are ways for remote workers to overcome this disadvantage and achieve career growth.
Remote employees should not assume that they are at a disadvantage when it comes to promotions. Here are three important tips to keep in mind when lining yourself up for a promotion in a remote role:
Communicate Your Goals And Ask For Feedback
Don’t assume anything. Communicate with intention and directly. Remote employees often take themselves out of the running for a promotion by assuming that colleagues who are in the office in-person have an advantage when it comes to promotions. This is not the case in most companies. Employers are looking for the right mix of skills, potential and fit when considering promotions. If you are lining yourself up for a promotion, you should communicate this directly to your boss or supervisor. Find out what it will take to get the promotion, and come back with a plan to get there. Ask for feedback continuously throughout, and remember, working toward a promotion is a process that can take months or longer.
Make the Most of Meetings
There are fewer opportunities for casual interaction remotely, so meetings count even more than they do in the office environment. Outside of reviewing your deliverables, your supervisors gauge your overall performance through the interactions they have with you during meetings. If you prepare for meetings, contribute consistently and follow-up appropriately, it leaves a more positive impression of your potential than if you call in late, surf on other people’s contributions and rarely follow up on discussions.
Focus on Learning and Track Your Progress
Your priority in your remote role should be to learn and to track your ongoing progress. If you are not learning and not tracking your progress, you are wasting your time – with or without a promotion. Since you have more freedom to plan your timetable, make sure that you are optimizing for productivity. You can find productivity hacks that make you better at your remote job here.
If the promotion doesn’t transpire, you are lining yourself up for your next role in a different department or company. The last scenario you want to find yourself in is one where you stay for a promotion that doesn’t happen and the experience adds little value to your professional prowess.
Interested in finding a remote role anywhere in the world? Check out Jobkast’s job board to find great opportunities from some of the best remote-first companies in the world.
